A night at the symphony

Saturday night I attended the symphony.  Tchaikovsky's 6th; his last melodramatic work, which he premiered 9 days before his death.

It was great. Not specifically because of the music, though I enjoyed that. What was most wonderful was the quiet, the stillness.  When was the last time I spent 2 hours alert, alone with my thoughts? No children yelling, no email/Twitter/phone notifications, no radio in the background, no knocking on the cube wall.

At first my mind was racing, jumping from half-finished work projects, to chores, to conversations gone awry. Like a hard-drive defragmenting. But with time, the frenetic jumping subsided and the music started to take over. I let myself be carried in the moments of sweetness, and the dark undercurrents.

We need these moments. The reflection,  the step back. It pays off in greater perspective & clarity of thought. This helps one's equanimity and supports better decision making.

I'd like to prescribe a night at the symphony to everyone in my organization. Similar results can be achieved with a long walk in the park, or meditation, or physical labour like raking leaves. This week,  what will your de-frag activity be?